I wrote a separate email to them regarding this, and asked for a shorter (vertically) banjo, because I CANNOT live with having to cut above centerline with my other tools. The ‘technical’ rep told me today that that’s the only banjo they have and sell, and that 1/4” is “enough”. He also told me this banjo is the same one on the 0766. I see no issue in that, since the 0766 (I have had one for a number of years), has 4” more swing! But it seems to me that two different size lathes should have two different size banjos. Cutting above centerline is, IMO, unsafe, and counter to everything I’ve ever been told/instructed about using a lathe. Their stance is that there’s nothing wrong with this setup. Am I missing something?
If you check the part numbers on the G0732 and G0766 for the banjo, they are different. I believe that you could buy earlier versions of the banjo and make your own. But it might be cheaper to just buy a new steel tool post. The cast iron (OEM) ones are kind of notorious - - they nick and dent easily if you get a catch, and if you are working at the end and get a catch you may break off a wing. Also, if you drop it, it'll probably break. Steel tool posts don't have that problem and the better ones had a hardened steel rod on the top. Is the problem that the tool post shaft is too long or that the shoulder of the cast iron tool post comes in contact with the banjo at the lowest height ?
I was going to recommend new tool rests with a straight post from Robust. They are way better than the stock rests that come with the G0766, and the older G0698 I used to own. I have 6 of them of differing configurations, and consider them a must to maximize the lathes capabilities. You can get them with 1” post or 25mm post, and custom length post, so be sure to measure the height from the bottom of the banjo hole to the center line of your lathe. There should be a little cross member in the banjo hole the rest sits on when bottomed out, so measure from that point. One note: when using a skew chisel, you need to be a little over the center line with your tool rest. Especially when doing planning cuts or using the longpoint to make “V” groves or shearing off the end of a spindle turning.
